Alfendi
by awesomest99er
Summary: This is just some of the thoughts of Alfendi Layton during (and right after) Case 002. K plus due to the murder...


Lucy seemed extremely annoyed at Mrs. Potsby-Mahn. Lucy was acting like that red-headed psychopath who sometimes appears when I'm really angry! She and Mrs. Potsby-Mahn were arguing a lot.

"I would kindly request that you allow me to go back to mah home now, Inspector," Mrs. Potsby-Mahn drawled.

"Of course," I replied. "Thank you very much for your cooperation. We shall get our files in order now after all the information you've given us."

"I believe that would be for the best. Such a simple case as this can surely be laid to rest now."

_Is she saying that we're stupid? _the other side of me wondered. _Is she really saying that?! How dare her! I should cut her tongue out!_

Mrs. Potsby-Mahn started to leave.

_Don't just let her go! _the other side of me yelled.

"One last thing!" I blurted, startling Lucy. (I never raised my voice before. She had reason to be startled.)

Mrs. Potsby-Mahn huffed indignantly and crossed her arms. "Yes?"

"If we happen across any other awkward issues, I presume you won't mind helping us again?" I asked as politely as I could. Mrs. Potsby-Mahn was really annoying that other side of me, and it was hard to keep him under control.

Mrs. Potsby-Mahn hesitated for a few seconds. "...As long as you are not wasting mah time, Inspector, I should be glad to help," she replied finally.

"Thank you. I wish you all the best." I smiled.

"Much obliged, I'm sure." Mrs. Potsby-Mahn left the Mystery Room. (A little name I thought of myself. It happened one day when there were no cases, and I was extremely bored. I already read the newspapers in my pockets, too. Since I had nothing to do, I gave my office a name.)

Lucy and I headed back into the office and away from the deductions board.

"Ee, Prof, are you sure about just letting her go like that?" Lucy asked. She seemed really annoyed.

_Don't call us Prof..._ the other side of me grumbled.

"We aren't going to reach a conclusion like that." I put a hand to my chin. "She knows we suspect her." And I needed some time to calm down. No need to terrify Lucy with that other side of mine! Perhaps some investigation without arguments would help.

Lucy crossed her arms. "Sorry Prof."

_Why does she keep calling us that?!_ the other side of me complained.

"That's my fault," Lucy continued. "I got a bit het up."

"Don't apologise. We all get worked up sometimes," I said, accidentally referring to the other side of me. I just continued with the case: "Anyways, I'm quite certain now that she is the culprit."

* * *

We were questioning Mrs. Potsby-Mahn again. This time, we knew she was the culprit, and we were going to get her to confess. Mrs. Potsby-Mahn had brought her dog friend-Bingo, I mean-and I tried to stay calm when I told her to make him leave. It appeared that the dog-like man couldn't speak English. That was rather odd. I managed to stay pretty during most of the interrogation...Of course the other side of me was fed up a lot, but I did my best. Lucy ran to get the phone when it rang. I tried to get Mrs. Potsby-Mahn to confess in that short amount of time (and, unfortunately, failed).

"Prof, Prof!" Lucy exclaimed, running back into the room.

"What's the matter?" My head hurt from all the things my other side was saying.

"The results!" Lucy replied. "From forensics. The found nowt on it! No traces of blood whatsoever!"

_What?!_ the other side of me exclaimed. _That's impossible!_

"Really?" I rubbed my chin.

"Mah, what a terrible shame." Mrs. Potsby-Mahn smirked, enjoying the fact that we made a mistake. "Your trump turned out to be a joker in the end. I do declare, I hate it when that happens."

Of course that made my other side really mad. My head was pounding at that time. I didn't know how long I could keep it up. "No. I must have missed something..." I muttered, partly to myself.

"Prof?" Lucy asked nervously.

"Can I assume we are finally on the same page now, Inspector?" Mrs. Potsby-Mahn asked. "That outlaw, Nicks, is responsible for mah husband's death, and I am no longer under suspicion?"

_Wants to get out of here, I see,_ my other side said. _Probably nervous that she actually WILL get arrested for the murder SHE committed!_

"If you could just fill out these forms for me with words to that effect..."

"Forms?" Lucy repeated.

_Forms? _my other side thought at the same time.

"Well," Mrs. Potsby-Mahn replied, "mah husband's life insurance will not pay without the proper paperwork, Miss Baker."

_Life insurance? _my other side thought. _Very interesting..._

"Have you got no shame at all?" Lucy exclaimed. "We're talking about a man's life!"

"Why, I have no idea what you are talking about, missy! Jack doted on me. He would turn his grave if he thought this l'il pot of gold would not be mahn after his death."

My other side was sure she was lying. He was even beginning to think of the motive and exactly how she got away with it.

"How do you have the gall to say summat like that?" Lucy clenched her fists. I've never seen her so angry.

I couldn't handle it any more. My other side appeared. I looked at Lucy through my red hair. Then Mrs. Potsby-Mahn. "Killing for cash." I considered the crime. "Hm, not a bad idea." It was an interesting motive.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Eh? Prof?" she asked nervously. "Are you alright?"

"But your intentions are far, far darker than that," I continued. "Aren't they, Goldie?"

Mrs. Potsby-Mahn seemed nervous that I suddenly started using her first name. "Don't get uppity with me now, Inspector!"

"Oh, but you enjoy it, don't you?" I lowered my head, grinning evilly. "You kill for money, but it's not the cash you're after. It's the kick. Isn't it?"

Lucy sweated nervously. "What are you on about, Prof? What's got into you?"

I just continued with the interrogation. After all, fear made people admit things, sometimes. "I can just imagine it..." I pictured the crime, with all the blood...It was very fascinating. "That little smile creeping onto your lips as you prepared the murder weapon."

Mrs. Potsby-Mahn squirmed nervously. Her eyes darted around the room. "I will not fall into your petty trap, Inspector! Need I remind you that you still have not found the murder weapon of which you speak?"

"And we never will." I narrowed my eyes. "Because it no longer exists."

"Inspector, I do declare you have lost your mind. Are you suggesting the murder weapon just vanished into thin air?"

"You'd be delighted if that's what we concluded, would you? But let me put it another way. The weapon you used to stab Jack Potsby didn't exactly vanish." I paused a few seconds. "It melted." I recalled a certain mystery show where they used an ice knife to kill someone. That was probably what Mrs. Potsby-Mahn did. Perhaps the show inspired her.

"Eh?" Lucy was completely lost. "What, in a furnace or summat?" Lucy frowned and wondered what was going on. Suddenly, it dawned on her. "Oh, hang on. I think I get it now." Lucy nodded. "I know what happened!"

Finally!

"I think the murder weapon must have been melted in the pot!"

"Oh yes," I agreed, grinning at Mrs. Potsby-Mahn. "The weapon that killed Mr. Potsby disappeared in this very pot."

"I...I have no idea what you are talking about!" Mrs. Potsby-Mahn stuttered. She was on the brink of giving up, and I knew it. "I assure you, I was simply making mah husband and I some pasta."

"Don't mock me!" I yelled in a reply. My heart beat faster due to anger. "Where's the cutlery? Where are the bowls? The pasta sauce? There's no sign of any preparation of a meal at all. Just the pasta in this pot of boiling water."

"I...I had intended to prepare those things later, but..."

"I don't think so!" Lucy replied. "I don't think that pasta were ever meant for eating at all."

"No, the pasta was prepared for the sole purpose of the disappearing act," I added. Lucy was good at this. Perhaps her being assigned to my office was a good idea after all. "Tell me by now you've figured out what the murder weapon was, Lucy."

"Oh, aye. I'm with you now, Prof."

I ignored her use of that nickname. We were busy interrogating. That was no time to complain about silly little nicknames.

"The weapon used to stab Jack Potsby to death were a knife made of ice!"

Mrs. Potsby-Mahn gasped. Yes, we probably got her. She would give in eventually.

"It would have melted to nowt in no time at all in a pot of boiling water like that one the pasta were in," Lucy said.

"Why, any ounce of horse sense could see this is just a fiction you've concocted," Mrs. Potsby-Mahn replied nervously. "Even if it were a knife made of ice like you say..." Mrs. Potsby-Mahn paused. She took a deep breath. "It's gone now, has it not? Mah hands are clean. You can never prove I had such a weapon in mah possession."

Lucy blinked. "Well, no, perhaps not, but, er..."

I felt nauseous. "Urgh..."

"Prof?"

"Yes...We can..." I covered my face with my hand as my hair turned back to the usual purple shade.

"Pardon me, Inspector?"

"Are you back to normal now, Prof?"

I pushed my hair out of my face, breaking a sweat. "Sorry, Lucy. Yes, I'm fine now. Thank you."

* * *

I can't believe I let Lucy see the other side of me! She was probably going to leave. I definitely freaked her out. Back to a solo mission, I guess...

"She put up quite a fight, eh?" Lucy asked, interrupting my panicked thoughts.

"Yes, she did."

"I were in a right tizz when the lab said they found nowt on the clock hand, I tell you!"

"Ha ha. Don't worry, Lucy. You weren't alone..." I grimaced, thinking about the split personality incident again. "It's a bit of a gamble as to whether they'll find any traces of blood on the pot of pasta as well."

"You're joking, aren't you?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"I'm pretty sure she's going to confess now, though." I gave Lucy a reassuring smile.

"Pretty sure, eh?" Lucy crossed her arms.

Florence rolled into the room on her office chair. "Alfendi! She's-" Florence sneezed in the middle of her sentence. "-admitted everything!"

Both sides of me were glad.

"Ee, what a relief!" Lucy replied.

"It seems she was after the man's life insurance," Florence said.

"She told us as much when we were questioning her, would you believe?" I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Oh." Florence shrugged. "Well, did you know this? We've found Mr. Potsby won a, a, a-" Florence sneezed again. "-very large sum of money last year. That's when Miss Mahn came into his life. Hardly what you might call a coincidence."

"She were a real gold-digger, eh?" Lucy replied.

Florence nodded and sniffed. (Her nose was stuffed half of the time. The other half of the time, it was runny.) "Well, it seems Potsby was spending money like water. She was terrified he'd rack up as much debt as the insurance payout, so she had to murder him quickly."

And of course my other side was interested. But I didn't need that twice in one day! "I see. So it was something of a rushed job. She no doubt prepared for other spouses." Like that Bingo fellow. Poor guy.

"So it's all done and dusted, then?" Lucy wondered. "Fabulous!"

"I must say, Al, you don't look very well. Are you alright?" Florence asked.

It was true that I was feeling a bit nauseous.

Lucy glanced at me. "Probably that Jekyll-and-Hyde moment you had's taken it out of you, eh, Prof?"

I grimaced at her description. Mr. Hyde was a murderer, and I knew that for a fact. "That's a bit of an exaggerated way of describing it, Lucy. But I do feel a little under the weather. I think I'll go home early if no one objects?"

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Lucy seemed genuinely worried about my health. Maybe she was just freaked out about that other side of me.

"Nothing a bit of sleep can't cure, I'm sure. Can you close up the office when you leave?"

"Consider it done." Lucy smiled.

I left the office.

"Ee, I hope he's alright," Lucy muttered. I could hear her through the door.

"So, it happened again, didn't it?" Florence asked.

I lingered by the door, wondering what they were talking about.

"Hey, do you know then, Florence? About the Prof?" Lucy replied. "Whatever's it all about then, eh?"

"Calm down, Lucy. I really don't know that much about it."

They were talking about me! And my-my weird split personalities!

"But you're safe as long as a criminal's present."

"You don't hear that said every day..." Lucy muttered.

What?! That wasn't true! Now Lucy would definitely want to leave. She was probably panicking.

"Hey Al!" Justin said. "What are you doin'?"

"Um...Nothing. Just heading home." I bit my lip.

"Oh. Me too."

We started walking out of Scotland Yard together.

"So, how's that new assistant going?" Justin asked.

"Oh! Um...Great." I stared at my feet. "Just great."

* * *

The next day, I nervously walked into my office.

"Hi Prof!" Lucy exclaimed, getting up from the chair. "Are you alright now? Not sick or anything?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. As I said before, nothing a bit of sleep can't cure." She was still there? I didn't scare her off? Lucy was really brave!

"Wonderful!"

* * *

**Whoa. More than 2,000 words in one chapter. 0_o ****Alfendi has long thoughts. If I were in his situation, I'd hope people wouldn't be scared of me too. I do act a bit like Alfendi sometimes...Hmmm...**

**Review please! I get all excited when I just get one review.**


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